Pressure on couples to create the “perfect” wedding is one of the biggest threats to marriage itself, according to Dr Rowan Williams.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury and current Master of Cambridge University’s Magdalene College has warned that immense marketing offensives are inflating couple’s notions of the perfect wedding day.

Dr Williams, who was speaking on “Marriage: Love or Law” at an event on Thursday night held by the family law team Winckworth Sherwood, condemned the huge costs of marriage.

He said the obsession with lavish, celebrity-style weddings is a symptom of the “short-term, unimaginative, emotionally unintelligent” culture of modern Britain.

“There is immense marketing in this experience, which you go through on your wedding day, after which nothing is ever so good again.

“Marriage has faced many changes and pressures, such as evolving working patterns and a reluctance for many people to think about their long-term wellbeing.

“Yet much remains unchanged. The majority of children are, for example, still born to married couple and there remains a strong desire for the public affirmation of commitment.

“As a society there is much yet to resolve around male roles, and we need to take a long hard look at the marketisation of marriage. This, I believe, poses the greatest threat to long-term successful marriages.”